In the Name of Love
by The Goblet
Summary: When escorting Neville Longbottom to buy a new wand, Remus goes missing. It is up to our heroic Potions Master to find him before moonrise. COMPLETE
1. Chapter One

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Fandom: **Harry Potter

**Rating: **R

**Status: **Complete

**Part: **1 / 10

**Categories: **Angst, Suicidal Themes

**Pairings: **SS/??

**Characters: **Albus Dumbledore, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin

**Warnings: **Character Death (mentioned), Slash, Suicidal Themes, Violence (mentioned)

**Spoilers: **OotP

**Summary: **  
When escorting Neville Longbottom to buy a new wand, Remus goes missing. It is up to our heroic Potions Master to find him before moonrise.

**Author's Notes: **  
A 'I must mate with you or else' fic with a twist.

**Dedication: **  
For MusIgneus, whose Master and the Wolf entry "Male Bonding" ) was the inspiration for this fic.

**Beta: **  
Mermaid3290

**Disclaimer: **  
This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Enter stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn,  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there._

J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Page 56-7.

Severus marched through the burnished bronze doors of Gringotts Bank, ignoring the goblins who bowed at his arrival. He pushed through the second pair of silver doors, and strode into the marble hall.

'Blasted werewolf,' he thought as he was forced to join the queue in front of the long counter. 'Trust Lupin to botch up a simple assignment!' he fumed inwardly.

Remus Lupin had disappeared three days prior, after being charged with the straightforward task of taking Neville Longbottom to be fitted for a new wand. The boy's grandmother had suffered a heart attack after learning of his exploits at the end of the school year. While she was convalescing, her grandson had been moved to Grimmauld Place for his own safety.

Before Longbottom could acquire a new wand, he had needed to call in at Gringotts Bank to retrieve some funds to pay for it. Like most sane people, the boy had been terrified of the small carts which the bank used to transport customers to their vaults. Lupin had volunteered to go in alone.

And he had not returned.

This brought Severus to his current position, standing in a queue in Gringotts, in a quest to find the errant werewolf, as this was where he had last been seen.

It was of utmost importance that Lupin be found. For a missing Lycanthrope on the full moon meant great danger.

The disgruntled Potions Master stepped up to the newly vacated position along the counter. He handed the bank employee a letter. The goblin read it over once, and nodded. "I will have someone take you down to the vault," he said, returning the letter to Severus.

Another goblin appeared and the Slytherin followed him through one of the doors which led out of the hall and down a torch-lit stone passageway. The goblin whistled and a small cart careered out of the darkness and screeched to a halt in front of them.

Severus climbed in and took a firm grip on the cart. The goblin gave it a hard shove, and waved goodbye as the cart carrying the Hogwarts' Potions Master disappeared deep into the London underground.

After a wild and frightening ride, the cart finally came to rest at a small door. Severus climbed out of the cart, and peered at the entrance. A brass plate announced that it was, indeed, vault seven hundred and ninety-four. And yet it had no key hole.

'Brilliant!' he thought. Stepping up to the door he thumped his foot on the ground loudly. "Lupin!" he called.

There was a shuffling sound inside and Severus thought that he may have heard a muffled reply.

"Lupin!" he shouted again, louder.

"I'm here," came a stifled reply.

"Are you injured?" he called leaning closer to the door.

When he didn't get a response, Severus pressed his ear against the door.

This, in turn, was a colossal mistake.

Slowly, the Potions Master's body dissolved and he was sucked through the door.


	2. Chapter Two

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 2**

"You had to touch the door," Severus hissed, pacing the short length of the vault.

"And you didn't?"

"Hmm, let's see: **I** heard a muffled cry from the other side of the door. I inadvertently touched the damn thing trying to determine whether or not you were inside.

" **You** decided to **knock** because there was no key hole, rather than ask a goblin to allow you entrance. Brilliant idea Lupin, absolutely Brilliant! Who did you think was going to let you in? Frank and Alice Longbottom?"

"I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean to get trapped. I didn't mean to get **you** trapped. And I didn't mean to worry anybody."

Severus spun around to face the werewolf. "Not worry anyone?" he jeered. "Longbottom thought that you had been killed in a trap meant for him. Potter thinks you've tried to find his godfather, and Albus is beside himself with worry. You may not have meant to worry anyone, but you did!"

Severus was livid: absolutely **livid**. He pulled out a small package that Albus had insisted he bring along. "Here," he said, thrusting the parcel at Lupin.

Seeing that he would get no sense out of Severus in his current mood, Remus turned his attention to the package Severus had thrown at him. He opened the brown paper and was delighted to find six overstuffed sandwiches inside.

"Thank-you," he said gratefully, before tucking into one. It had been days since he had last had anything to eat.

"Thank Albus," grumbled Severus.

"He knows you're here?"

"Yes."

"He sent you?"

"Yes."

"Why you?"

Severus glared at the other man. "Every. One. Else. Was. Busy."

"Oh so when you don't return, he'll send someone else."

"Perhaps."

Lupin felt rather guilty as he polished off one of his sandwiches and reached for another. He offered Severus one of the sandwiches. "No thank-you, there's no point in my eating."

Remus was intrigued by the other man's response. "You know, Severus, one would think you were anorexic."

"I am not."

"Then eat a sandwich."

"No."

"Why not?"

Silence.

"Why **not**?"

"I have no stomach."

"Claustrophobic?"

Severus turned to stare Lupin in the eye. "Surely it has not escaped your attention that tonight is the night of the full moon?"


	3. Chapter Three

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 3**

Remus' eyes widened as he comprehended that he would be transforming within a few hours.

With no light but his wand, he hadn't realized that three days had passed since his imprisonment. He had felt the pull of the moon, but he had no way of knowing when he would transform until a few minutes prior to its rise.

"But you will be missed!" he insisted. "Someone will come."

"I will not be missed until morning when Albus returns to Hogwarts." Severus replied calmly.

"Harry and Neville will know that we're still stuck when I'm not back for dinner."

"By which time the bank would be closed, and the moon would have risen," answered Severus. "No one in their right mind would uncage a transformed werewolf."

Remus sat, mortified, in their prison. "How can you be so calm?" he asked quietly, feeling very ill about the entire situation.

"What is to be achieved by panicking?" Severus said, pulling a small piece of parchment and a quill out of his robes. After several moments he began to write.

"Damn you Severus!" Lupin exploded. "I am going to murder you tonight, and you're **writing a letter**?"

Severus glared at the werewolf. "When you are released, I would appreciate if you handed this to Albus," he said softly. "It is essential that he receives it."

Lupin nodded mutely. He couldn't believe that Severus was so calm; so ready to die. He had just accepted his fate: without protest, without complaint.

Remus watched as Severus completed writing his letter, and pulled out his wand. He cast a spell over the paper, tapping the parchment twice, causing his handwriting to fade into nothingness. He folded it once and handed it over. "You will see that he gets it," the Potions Master stated. It was an order, not a question.

The werewolf nodded, and took the parchment, placing it in the pockets of his robes.

While Severus wrote his letter, he had been thinking. "You know Severus, there is a way that you could survive"


	4. Chapter Four

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 4**

"No! Absolutely not!"

"But you will survive my transformation," pleaded Remus.

"I will **not** mate with you!"

"You want to die?" asked Remus, terrified.

"Given that to be saved I must let you touch me, **yes**!"

Remus was taken aback. Did Severus hate him so much that he wouldn't even let himself by _touched_ by him? The werewolf reached out and touched the other man's shoulder.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me," growled Severus, pulling away violently.

"Why?" implored Remus. "Why not? Is it because I am a man?"

"I do not wish to be bonded to you," Severus answered, shuffling away from the werewolf.

"Do you hate me that much? Is your hate so strong for me that you will choose death over a loveless bonding?" Remus whispered.

"This has nothing to do with my feelings for you," stated Severus. "I have made my decision. You will respect it."

"You are committing suicide."

Severus glared at the werewolf. "There are larger issues at stake here than my life. Do not question my reasoning."

Remus threw his hands into the air and got to his feet. "The choice is simple: Bond with me. **Mate** with me and save your own life."

Severus stood up, hating being towered over by the other man. "I would rather be turned than ever bond with you!" he hissed.

* * *

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Remus asked despondently as he undressed himself. He folded his robes and placed them on a narrow ledge out of the way. Severus had not changed his mind in the intervening hours, and the werewolf was loathe to force him into intimate relations.

"I will not mate with you," Severus replied. He was sitting in a far corner: prepared to die.

"This is needless."

"This is necessary."

Remus was angry. How **dare** Severus force him into this? "You know **Snivellus** I can't believe you would go this far to hurt me."

"I am not doing this to hurt you."

"You are turning me into a murderer!"

"I am doing no such thing."

"Oh so when I kill you, it **won't** be my fault?"

"It is in the nature of a werewolf to kill."

Remus glared at him. But his glower was interrupted as the change began.

Severus looked into the Lycanthrope's eyes as the first stabbing pain began. "I forgive you," he whispered,

After a few minutes a large wolf had taken Lupin's place; it snarled at Severus, bearing its teeth.

It stood, sizing up the other man.

Severus had barely enough time to wet himself before it lunged at him.


	5. Chapter Five

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 5**

When Remus returned to his human form the next morning, he was horrified to find himself completely covered in blood.

Lifting his head, he surveyed the room. He almost didn't dare to look, but he knew that if Severus had somehow survived the night, then the Slytherin would need assistance.

Severus was nowhere in sight. All Remus could see were puddles of blood and ripped shreds of Severus' robes.

Lupin pushed himself up into a seated position. His transformations were always difficult, but a transformation without wolfsbane was horrendous. His abused muscles ached as he moved and he was still bleeding from the large gashes which covered his body.

Bracing himself, Remus cautiously looked around the room. He really didn't want to see Severus' remains. He intensely feared what the wolf had done.

Then he spotted him, lying in a far corner, in a pool of blood. Severus was completely nude, his clothes strewn about the vault.

Remus could only see his naked back, where several claw and bite marks stood out vividly against his blood-smeared skin.

The Potions Master was lying, facing away from him and he was apprehensive about what he may find: had he torn out the other man's throat?

Leaning forward, Remus got to his hands and knees and slowly began to crawl towards the Slytherin; dread filling him, terror overcoming him.

He stopped in order to collect himself and try to calm his queasy stomach.

Suddenly the vault door disintegrated, and Remus turned to see a goblin being hastily pushed aside as Albus Dumbledore rushed into the room.

The Headmaster didn't spare a glance at Lupin, instead hurrying to Severus' side. He knelt beside the Slytherin and blocked him from view.

Remus was so pre-occupied watching the Headmaster tend to his Potions Master that he jumped when a blanket was draped over his shoulders. He looked behind him to find Kingsley Shacklebolt covering his nakedness. "I-I need to s-see what I have d-done," he stuttered, trying to get to his feet.

Kingsley caught him as he fell. The Auror wrapped his arms around the injured man, holding him upright. "Shh, let Albus check him over," he said, calmingly while restraining Lupin.

The two men watched as the Headmaster pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around the Potions Master's still form. Carefully, he stood up, cradling the man in his arms.

"Do you have the portkey?" Albus asked softly. His voice was strained, broken.

"Oh Merlin," Remus murmured upon hearing Albus' overwrought voice. He crumbled to his knees in grief, despite Shacklebolt's support.

Kingsley pulled out a long Gringotts Bank scarf and flung one end at the Headmaster. The goblins had given them a charmed portkey which could circumvent their many anti-burglary charms and jinxes.

He bent down and pressed the scarf to Remus as he sat sobbing on the floor, while Albus held it to Severus' skin.

With a jerk, all four men disappeared from the vault.


	6. Chapter Six

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 6**

The last thing Remus remembered was portkeying into the Hogwarts Hospital Wing; and then blackness.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a comfortable hospital bed, wearing a white patient's gown in what seemed to be a private room.

Looking down, he realised that someone had tended to his injuries: his wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, and his muscles felt slightly better.

"You're awake," Kingsley stated, as he walked into the room carrying a tray of chicken broth. He set the food down on a small table.

"You should eat," the Auror continued, as he moved to help Remus sit up in the bed. He handed him a bowl of soup and a spoon.

Remus didn't particularly feel up to eating, but one look at Shacklebolt made him raise the spoon to his mouth.

"How long have I been here?" he asked, after he had swallowed several spoonfuls.

"Four days."

"Four days!" Remus sat up, alarmed. He had been there for **four** days!

"We had to sedate you, you were hysterical," Kingsley replied

"Severus"

The Auror nodded. "You can see him once you finish your soup and get dressed." He indicated a pile of clothing beside the bed. They were the robes Remus had been wearing in the vault.

Remus stared blankly at the clothes, remembering Severus' torn robes in the vault.

Gently, Kingsley took the soup from Remus' grasp and held the spoon to his mouth. "The goblins returned them soon after you were admitted," he said softly as his patient swallowed another mouthful.

"Albus was **furious**. I have never seen him so angry," he continued, feeding Remus another spoonful of soup.

Remus was silent as he ate. Did Albus hate him now? Would he throw him out of the Order? Would Harry hate him? He needed to explain what had happened.

"Where is he now?" asked Remus meekly.

"With Severus."

Remus forced down another mouthful, his appetite very much gone. The idea of Albus preparing Severus' body for burial disturbed him dreadfully.

He waved away another spoonful.

"Severus gave me a letter to give to him" Remus couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

The Auror nodded, and put away the soup, knowing that the werewolf was too upset to eat anymore.

"Get dressed, and I'll take you to them," he instructed softly as he gathered up Remus' dinner things and walked out of the room.

Remus slowly and painfully shed his hospital gown and shrugged into his robes. He retched as he smelt the blood and death on his clothes.

Gently, he sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled out the letter which Severus had given to him. The parchment was still blank, no markings could be seen anywhere on the surface.

He looked up as Kingsley returned. "Are you here to take me to Azkaban?" he asked.


	7. Chapter Seven

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 7**

Remus walked apprehensively towards Severus' quarters. Kingsley was escorting him, leading the way down to the dungeons.

The Auror had assured him that he was not being taken to Azkaban. In fact, the Ministry had no idea that he had attacked another wizard. Nor would they ever find out. Kingsley was merely there as a member of the Order. And as a friend.

As they neared the door to Severus' private rooms, Remus grew even more agitated. The closer he got, the less he wanted to see Severus' body. And the less he wanted to look into Albus' eyes. The episode in the vault had been bad enough.

Kingsley opened the door, and, very gently, guided him inside. They bypassed Severus' living areas and Kingsley steered Remus into the Potions Master's bedchamber.

Lupin hesitated at the door as he spied Severus lying in his bed. Someone had wrapped bandages around his wounds, and placed him under a blanket.

The wolf must have really torn into the other man. There was no other explanation as to why Albus would have resorted to covering his wounds with bandages, rather than cast a glamour charm to hide them.

Albus was sitting on a chair beside the bed. He held Severus' hand in his, and was speaking to the man in a soft low voice.

Remus choked back a sob as he realised that the Headmaster was trying to say his final goodbye to Severus: the man that he had killed.

Albus looked up at the noise and stopped speaking to Severus. "Come in, Remus," he said gently.

The werewolf was rooted to the spot. He couldn't move. He couldn't stand to see the pain in Albus' eyes. He shook his head and spun around to leave, only to find Kingsley blocking his escape route.

Slowly, he gathered the courage to face the Headmaster again and Kingsley's hand in the small of his back propelled him into the room.

"I'm so sorry," he blurted out. "I didn't mean to kill him!" Remus collapsed at Albus' feet crying openly. Sirius was gone, and now Severus too, not two months later and at his own hand.

He felt two fingers gently lift his chin. "Stop crying, Remus," Albus instructed kindly. "He isn't dead."

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tbc...

Feedback very welcome!


	8. Chapter Eight

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 8**

"B-b-but I mauled him!" Remus insisted, after both Albus and Kingsley had assured him that Severus was alive.

"Yes you did. But you didn't kill him. See for yourself," Albus said, gesturing towards the man on the bed.

Lupin leaned in for a good look. He saw a small rise in the Slytherin's chest. It was lethargic, and didn't repeat for several long minutes. He took a hold of Severus wrist, Albus moving his hand so that he could feel for a pulse. There was one. It was very faint, and very slow. But it was there.

"I thought he was dead," he murmured, gently touching the other man's face. "I thought I'd killed him."

"You very nearly did," Kingsley said. "He'd lost a lot of blood by the time we got there."

"But he'll be alright, won't he?" asked Remus looking at both men.

Albus and Kingsley looked at each other. Neither daring to tell the other man why Severus was still alive.

"Oh Merlin, he's going to die!" Remus cried.

"I doubt it," Albus replied, patting Remus on the back. "He's just taking his time recovering from the ordeal."

"But he won't be alright?" asked Remus, confused.

"He has sustained a permanent injury after your night together. Once he recovers from his superficial wounds, he will need to learn to live with his new disability."

"Will it stop him being Severus?" asked Remus, terrified now that he knew he had permanently disfigured the Slytherin.

Kingsley chuckled. "Nothing would stop Severus being Severus."

Remus smiled and looked back at Severus. Albus was still sitting in the chair; still holding Severus' hand.

"Has he woken up at all?" he asked.

"Once," Albus replied. "He was happy to have survived. Poppy put him into a healing coma. His injuries were severe."

"To tell you the truth, I can't understand how he survived," Remus said quietly.

"How do most people survive a werewolf attack?" asked Kingsley.

Remus shrugged. "They don't. They die, or they're turned."

Both men simply looked at him.

It took him several minutes to understand what Albus and Kingsley were trying to tell him. _He will need to learn to live with his new disability They die, or they're turned_

"No!" Remus cried out.

"I'm afraid so," Albus confirmed Remus' conclusion. "Severus now lives with your curse."

* * *

tbc...

Feedback very welcome!


	9. Chapter Nine

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 9**

"I don't understand," whispered Remus, after he had recovered from his shock. "This could have all been prevented. He need never have been cursed."

Albus smiled at the werewolf. "You said it yourself, his options were to be cursed, or to die."

"But he didn't need to!" Remus insisted. "He could have chosen not to!"

"There was a way out?" Kingsley asked, though he very much doubted it. Gringotts didn't build secret tunnels into their vaults. Nor could anyone apparate or portkey out of them.

"He could have mated with me. But he refused. Nothing I said changed his mind. All he did was sit down and write you a letter," Remus told Albus, pulling the blank sheet of parchment out of his pocket.

Albus reached out and plucked the letter out of Remus' hand. He tapped it twice with his wand and the words re-appeared.

The entire room was silent as he read what could have been Severus' last words to him. With a small smile on his face, he folded the parchment and hid it away in his robes.

"Did he explain himself?" Remus asked, looking at the still form of Severus on the bed.

"He didn't have to," Albus responded. "I know why he made the decision that he did. I agree with him wholeheartedly. If I had been in his position, I would have arrived at the same decision."

"He chose to turn me into a murderer!" shouted Remus.

"Shh," Kingsley whispered. "Don't wake him."

Remus threw himself into an armchair by the fireplace. "In the thirty years that I lived with the curse I never hurt anyone. I never killed anyone. I never turned anyone. Until now. Until **he** decided that he wanted to die!"

"Severus didn't want to die," Albus interrupted quietly. "Quite the contrary, he wished to live."

"I don't understand!" Remus erupted. "He chose death over mating with me. He chose the curse over mating with me. WHY?? Does he hate me so much that he couldn't stand the thought of me touching him?"

"I don't know," Kingsley answered. "I guess you would have to ask him that. But as to his decision, neither of you were the only people involved. The consequences would have been severe if he had mated with you."

Remus was completely and utterly confused. "What consequences? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"It means that Severus was protecting me," Albus said quietly.

"What? It had nothing to do with you!"

"On the contrary," Albus replied, a sad smile brushing his lips. "Severus is my husband."

* * *

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Feedback very welcome!


	10. Chapter Ten

**IN THE NAME OF LOVE  
by The Goblet**

**Chapter 10**

"Excuse me?" asked Remus after a few moments silence.

"Severus is my husband," repeated Albus.

"You and Severus a-are m-married?" the werewolf asked, stuttering. Surely that was not the reason why Severus refused to mate with him. Even if he was married to Albus, the Headmaster would have understood. He would not have divorced him over a small indiscretion, an indiscretion necessary in order to save his life.

"Yes."

Albus was still sitting beside Severus' bed, still holding his hand.

"I-I still don't understand," Remus said quietly. "If you are married, surely it would provide him with more incentive to live. Why did he choose to die?"

Kingsley put a hand on his shoulder. "Albus and Severus married using the old laws," he explained. "They are not only partners in a legal sense, but in a spiritual sense as well."

Albus stroked Severus' cheek. "He made his choice not based on hatred for you, as you seem to believe, but based on love. Love for me."

"But why was his decision that?" asked Remus. "I don't understand." He repeated his mantra for the day. He knew he was beginning to sound like a broken record, but it was true: he **didn't** understand.

Albus smiled kindly at him. "Severus and I share a soul bond. We have been bonded for a great number of years, most of Severus' adult life.

"We have lived with this bond for so long, that we rely on it to live; to survive. If the bond were to break, we would most certainly die."

"If Severus had mated with me, he would have broken the bond?"

Albus nodded. "Infidelity on any level would break the bond. Rape would not. If you had forced Severus, then you could have mated with him. But he was unable to even suggest the idea to you, for it would have then been classified as infidelity and the bond would have broken, and we would have both died.

"He said so much in the letter that he wrote me. He insisted that if he died at your hand, that I was to forgive you and that he would endeavour to return to Hogwarts to haunt me."

The Headmaster stood and crossed the room to Remus. He took both his hands in his own. "Severus made a decision based on his own circumstances. He did not do this to hurt you.

"He was prepared to die, so that I may live. He was willing to sacrifice himself so that the Dark Lord would still be strongly opposed."

"Can you imagine what the Order would be like if both Severus and Albus were to have died?" asked Kingsley.

Remus nodded slowly. He understood now. It made perfect sense. It explained everything: why Albus trusted Severus without question, why Albus had run straight to Severus in the vault, why Severus had chosen Albus' life over his own.

He understood now. He understood Severus' choice, a choice that he, himself, would have made if put in the same position: the choice to protect a mate rather than saving one's own life.

"Who knows about the bond?" Remus asked softly.

"Only the people in this room," Kingsley replied.

Remus smiled and nodded. He got to his feet. "I should head back to bed, I'm not feeling too good," he said.

The Headmaster smiled warmly. "There is just one more thing before you go," he said.

"Severus will most probably need your guidance over the forthcoming weeks, not that I expect him to admit it, but I am certain that he would appreciate some assistance in learning to live with Lycanthropy."

Remus nodded. "If I can help in any way, I will."

"Good, good, now go rest, my boy."

Albus moved back towards the bed as Kingsley helped Remus move towards the door.

"Remus?" Albus called.

"Yes?"

"Thank-you for not killing him."

The werewolf blushed. "You're welcome Albus. I only wish that I had never cursed him."

Albus watched as Kingsley helped Remus to the door, before returning his attention to his husband. He was very thankful that his Severus was alive. Curse or no curse, he was still alive.

* * *

Unknown to all, there was trouble brewing. It had not occurred to anyone that Moony **had** taken a mate that night. The mate that its human had been denied. It had bonded with Severus Snape.

The End

* * *

Feedback very welcome! 


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